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| Kandykane dancing Jazz |
Because jazz dance has so many influences from theater, social dance, classical dance, and music genres, many styles have become recognizable and have been given a descriptive name. Below are the major ones, please take special notice on the last three if you are our student, those are what we focus on.
Lyrical Jazz
Lyrical jazz is strongly influecned by ballet. Its movements use the entire body, extending the body lines. Movements possess a flowing quality, although a strong pulse may be used to emphasize dynamics. Sharp angular movements generally are avoided. The Luigi technique relates to lyrical jazz. Luigi combinations employ ballet technique but are performed with asymmetrical body lines, increased and varied movements of the spine, and syncopated rhythms and movements.
Musical Comedy or Theater Jazz
Musical Comedy, or theater jazz, is the style of jazz usually performed on the Nroadway stage and in early dance musicals. Theater jazz is characterized by movements that assist the story line of the play or musical. Often, the dance is an interaction oft he characters of the play in relation to the story’s plot.
Musical comedy jazz dance often incorporates props: hats, canes, chairs, and other objects relating to the story line of the play. New York and London are the hubs of musical comedy jazz, and many well-known masters of this style make their home there.
Comtemporary / Modern Jazz
This is heavily influenced by modern dance. It uses body contractions, flexed feet, and off-centre body shapes, which are reflective of modern dance techniques. This style of jazz dance may be more predominantly performed in concert or studio recitals in contrast to the styles of jazz dance used for Broadway shows, music videos, or TV and commercial specials. This style may be more expressive and floolows the exercise techniques of modern dance disciplines.
Afro Jazz
Afro Jazz stems from African movements explored by Katherine Dunham in the 1940s. It is often combined with ethnic dancs of the Caribbean Islands. The style is primitive, with major attention to movements of the spine, neck, and hips. The legs are usually in plie, and dancers typically dance barefooted. Accompaniment is primarily a drum, but other percussive instruments may be used depending on the dance. Many of the movements are duplications of movements used in African ceremonies, thus giving a hypnotic and ritualistic feeling to the dance style.
West Coast Jazz
Latin Jazz
West Coast Jazz
West Coast jazz is often recognized as the LA jazz dance style, although dance studios across the US teach it. Compared with lyrical jazz dance, West Coast jazz is angular and disjointed. It employs hip isolations, shoulder shrugs, and head rolls. Dance movements tend to be pedestrian, emphasizing walking, hand clapping, finger snapping, and general body isolations. Many of its dance steps come from social dance: the Jitterbug, the Two Step, the Frug.
Latin Jazz
A dance style influenced by Latin music and Latin social dance. Popular Latin music entered the jazz dance scene and gave rise to this style in choreography. Salsa often is the style of music used, in which the beat is counted ‘one and two’. The footwork is fast and syncopated while the body is loose, yet controlled. Steps also employ pauses and vogueing. Dance steps such as the mambo, conga, samba, tango, and cha-cha are used in the choreography. Many of these movements incorporate hip shakes as well as shoulder rolls and shimmies. The Latin music and movements make this a sensuous style of dance.
Hip Hop
As a child of break dancing, it consists of popping, locking, strutting, freestyle, and commercial moves. It began in the late 1970s, and its original movements now have come to be called ‘old school’. Old school moves include running man, kid n play, Roger Rabbit, Robocop, cabbage patch, buttrfly, tootsie roll, and others. ‘New School’ moves are more abstract and do not necessarily have specific names.
The hip hop culture is influenced by four elements:
- DJs (disc jockeys and underground parties)
- Graffiti (art)
- MCs (rappers)
- B-boys/-girls (breaker boy / girl dancers)
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